


Shelter From The Storm

by angelus2hot



Category: Andromeda (TV)
Genre: Community: love_bingo, Community: smallfandomfest, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-02
Updated: 2013-07-02
Packaged: 2017-12-17 11:50:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/867206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelus2hot/pseuds/angelus2hot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A storm brings the two men together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shelter From The Storm

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Shelter From The Storm  
>  **Fandom:** Andromeda  
>  **Characters/Pairing:** Telemachus Rhade/Seamus Harper  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 1,152  
>  **Summary:** A storm brings the two men together.  
>  **A/N:** written for [Love_Bingo](http://love_bingo.livejournal.com)

“I still don’t understand why Dylan insisted that I go with you, Rhade. Do you? It’s not as if I’m a fighter.” Harper glance over at the man walking beside him before he quickly added, “I mean of course I can hold my own in a fight if I have to but I’m a lover at heart.” 

Rhade shrugged his shoulders but didn’t bother to answer. Harper had been bitching since they had left the Andromeda. He was used to it by now. Besides there was no way he was telling him the truth. He just hoped the Captain hadn’t realized it either. Although, from the look on his face as he and Harper had left he thought the Captain just might have.

 

Thunder rolled loudly overhead and the rain came down in buckets as the two men searched for a place to weather the storm. 

“Do you see anything?”

“No.” Rhade shook his head even with his advanced Nietzschean eyesight he couldn’t see two feet in front of them. “I can’t see anything. Who could in this mess?”

“Damn.” The one word, repeated by both men, summed their feelings up nicely.

Suddenly, on the ridge just above where they stood, Rhade spotted it. He wasn’t completely sure but it looked like a house. He could only hope the inhabitants were friendly and not opposed to helping strangers. “Harper, look.” He pointed towards the cliff.

“What?”

“Up there.” Rhade put his hands on Harper’s face and urged him to look up.

“I think I see it. But it looks like it would be a pretty hazardous trip to get to it.” Harper really wasn’t a fan of hiking. Or more to the point falling helplessly to his death.

Rhade rolled his eyes. “Do you have a better idea?” 

Of course he didn’t and the Nietzschean knew it. “Lead the way.”

 

An hour later, drenched completely through to the skin, they finally arrived at the house. With a huge sense of foreboding Harper followed Rhade inside. 

With a sigh of relief he looked around. “It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. A little paint, some new furniture and nice throw pillows this place could really look...” He paused as he looked around. “Like a dump with new furniture and a paint job.”

“Don’t forget the nice throw pillows.” Rhade quickly supplied.

“I can’t believe it.” Harper’s mouth opened in shock. “Did you just joke, Rhade?”

The Nietzschean shrugged his shoulders. “You must be a bad influence on me.”

 _That’s not all I would like to be._ Harper muttered under his breath.

Rhade quickly turned his head to stare down at the other man. “Did you say something?” 

“Nope. I didn’t say anything.” _Good going, Harper. Why don’t you go ahead and tell the man what you really want?_

Without warning a particularly loud crack of thunder shook the walls of the abandoned house making Harper jump.

A wide grin spread across Rhade’s face. “What’s a matter, Harper? Are you afraid of the big mean thunder?” His laughter echoed through the room as his grin spread wider. “Does a little noise scare you?”

The other man quickly rolled his eyes before he shook his head. “No. Of course not it’s just...”

“Don’t worry, Harper. I’ll protect you from the big bad storm.” Although, he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to protect the engineer from himself.

Harper yelped as another crack of thunder this one louder than the first one reverberated through the house.

“Harper?”

A sheepish look crossed his face. “Sorry, I just...” His shoulders slumped as he raised his head and stared into Rhade’s eyes. “I have a thing about storms, okay? Back on Earth it always seemed that right after a severe storm the Magog would show up. Ever since then I have had this low tolerance for storms. I mean I can usually do okay if I’m not stuck in something that doesn’t look as if it will crumble to the ground at the least little thing.” Harper sighed and closed his eyes and waited for the ‘making fun of the Harper’ to begin but nothing happened. Slowly he opened his eyes to see Rhade staring down at him with an indescribable look on his face.

 _Damn._ A feeling of shame swept over him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Harper shrugged his shoulders. “It isn’t something I want to share. And usually it’s not even an issue since there isn’t this kind of weather in space. But here....” He let whatever he was going to say left unsaid as Rhade interrupted.

“I’m sorry, Harper. I didn’t know this would happen. If I had known I would have...”

It was Harper’s turn to interrupt. “It’s okay, Rhade. How could you have known? Besides it wasn’t as if you planned on us getting stuck.” At the look on the Nietzschean’s face, he quickly added, “Did you?”

“I...” A red blush began to appear on his cheeks as he lowered his head.

“Rhade?” Harper couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The Nietzschean had never acted like this before. Not ever. He had never seen Rhade blush before much less seen him at a loss for words.

“I asked Dylan for you to go on this assignment with me?” He admitted reluctantly.

His eyes were round with shock. “You did? Why?”

“I thought if we could have some time alone together, away from the Andromeda and everyone else that you might begin to see me as someone...” He paused before he continued, “Someone more than just another Nietzschean.” At the confused look on Harper’s face he hung his head as he added, “I’m sorry” 

“But, Rhade. I’ve never seen you as just another Nietzschean. You’re a lot more than that. You are everything to m...” Harper quickly clamped his lips shut. He was horrified at what he had let slip.

Suddenly, Rhade’s head snapped up, a smile curved his lips as he stared into Harper’s eyes. “I take that back. I’m not sorry.”

“You’re not? Why not?”

“Because if I hadn’t you wouldn’t have ever said what you just did to me, would you?”

“I didn’t say anything.” Harper stubbornly refused to give in.

Rhade took a step closer. “Harper. You can’t deny it. I’m a Nietzschean, remember? I have excellent hearing.” 

Harper closed his eyes and let Rhade’s voice wash over him like warm honey leaving him breathless. His eyes flew open as another round of thunder echoed through the room.

Rhade smiled down at Harper as he ran his fingers down his cheek before he snaked his hand around the other man’s waist and drew him closer. “It’s okay, Harper. Nothing can hurt you ever again. I’ve got you. And I’m never letting you go.”

Harper couldn’t help but smile, while the storm raged outside he was safe and warm, held tight against his Nietzschean’s chest.


End file.
